Feb 10: Weekly Reading- Parable of the Good Samaritan; The Outsider & Insight Post by Kim Feld
Weekly Reading: Luke 10:25-37
Monday Reflection
Compassion Knows No Boundaries: Jesus teaches that love and compassion are not limited by ethnicity, social status, or personal beliefs. The Samaritan man, an outsider, showed mercy when others passed by, demonstrating that true compassion transcends cultural and societal boundaries.
Monday Verse
Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Hebrews 13:2 (NLT)
Monday Questions
Are there people I overlook because of differences in background or status? How can I open my heart to show compassion to all, as the Good Samaritan did?
Monday Insight Post
by Kim Feld
This week’s passage from Luke 10 begins with an “expert in religious law” testing Jesus by asking Him what was necessary to inherit eternal life. As we often see Jesus do in scripture, He answers the man with a question. In fact, He asks two: “What does the law of Moses say?” and “How do you read it?” The religious leader sums up the law correctly. Let’s take a look:
27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27, NLT).
Then, the expert asks the million-dollar question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds by telling the story of the Good Samaritan, which turned the norms of their society upside down. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews, and yet, that’s the group Jesus used for His story. Jesus takes His lesson up a notch by having the “‘good guy” be the Samaritan. If He had reversed the characters and shown the Jews doing the right thing, it could have just come off as a pep talk to take the high road as opposed to a radical call to look deep inside your heart, pull out the racial and cultural biases that live there, and show mercy.
“Who is my neighbor?” is still relevant. In Jesus’ story, the ‘neighbor’ was defined as the one who showed mercy. Showing mercy is not just a duty, it’s a powerful choice. Jesus said we are to be like the Samaritan in the story and show mercy to those in need.
As followers of Christ, we should be the most merciful people on the planet. Here are a few things the Bible has to say about mercy:
God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7, NLT).
There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you (James 2:13, NLT).
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12, NLT).
Jesus commended the Samaritan for his kindness and mercy and used him as an example for us to follow. We are surrounded by countless opportunities every day to ‘go and do the same’ for those we know are suffering. The need has never been greater, but neither has the potential for mercy.
Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach
New Hope Church
Lorton, Virginia
www.newhope.org